Chapter 141 The New Ant-Man
Scott felt his stomach twist into a knot by an invisible hand.
He lay on the ground, everything in his vision swaying.
The bristles on the six legs of a passing ant were clearly visible, like rows of sharp spears.
Its compound eyes, like countless funhouse mirrors, reflected countless distorted, tiny, screaming versions of him.
He wanted to run, but his legs were as soft as noodles.
"Press the red button again!" Hank Pym's voice exploded in his helmet, like God thundering.
Scott's mind went blank, and he instinctively raised his hand, slapping his glove hard and haphazardly.
Buzz—
The sensation of the World spinning came in reverse.
His vision, like a stretched rubber band, snapped back to its original state.
He fell heavily to the floor, and the first thing he did was rip off his helmet, throwing it with all his might into the corner, where it landed with a clang.
Then he lay on the ground, his throat burning, dry heaving desperately.
"Get out!" He looked up and realized there were two people standing in the living room.
A white-haired old man and a sharp-eyed woman.
When did they come in? He hadn't noticed at all.
Scott grabbed the Ant-Man Suit from the floor and threw it at the old man like trash, "Take your junk and get out!"
The old man merely shifted his body, easily dodging it.
He was Hank Pym.
The woman beside him, Hope van Dyne, stepped forward, her gaze like an ice blade scraping Scott's face.
"You're not going anywhere, Mr.
Thief."
Scott scrambled up from the ground, intending to rush towards the door, but Hope used only one move, a simple hold, to pin him back down.
He felt as if his arm was about to break; this woman's strength was astonishingly great... A few streets away, in Chu Hang's studio, a complex three-dimensional atomic structure model on a huge holographic screen stopped its calculations.
"Interesting."
He took a sip of coffee, looking at the analysis report that popped up on the screen.
Pym Particles, in essence, do not shrink objects, but rather forcefully compress the distance between atoms through an unknown quantum effect.
This is not shrinking; this is folding microscopic space.
This is infinitely more precise and infinitely more dangerous than the Law of Space he currently commanded.
Regarding replicating Pym Particles, what he wanted was not technical blueprints; replicating a technology he didn't understand was meaningless to him.
What he wanted was the result, the ability to arbitrarily distort his own dimension.
Thus, he could only replicate the ability application level for organisms that were fully adapted to the Pym Particles effect.
That's right.
Chu Hang tapped the table.
He didn't need to learn how to plant a tree; he just needed to wait for Scott, this little White mouse, to ripen the fruit, and then reach out and pick it.
Directly replicating the technology was too dangerous; it would be terrible if it triggered an uncontrollable quantum collapse in himself.
But replicating Scott, the finished product, meant letting Scott bear all the risks.
He looked at Scott, pinned to the ground by Hope on the screen, and smiled.
"Keep it up, future hero."
...In the apartment, Scott gave up struggling.
He knew he couldn't escape.
"Mr.
Scott Lang," Hank Pym finally spoke, his voice calm without a ripple, "Do you want to be a thief your whole life, in and out of prison, making your daughter unable to hold her head up at school?
Or do you want to be a hero in her eyes?"
Scott stiffened.
The word "hero" was like a needle, pricking the softest spot in his heart.
Hank picked up the suit from the ground, carefully brushing off the dust, as if it were a treasure.
Then, he tucked the suit back into Scott's arms: "I'm giving you a chance.
A chance to stand tall at Cathy's birthday party and tell her, 'Your dad saved the World.'"
Scott looked down at the suit in his arms, the cold metal and strange fibrous texture making him feel a moment of disorientation.
He thought of Cathy.
He thought of her clear eyes, and the expression of wanting to be close yet with a hint of distance every time she saw him.
He didn't want to be taken away from his daughter's birthday party by the Police like a criminal.
"What... do I need to do?" he asked in a hoarse voice.
Hank Pym's lips moved imperceptibly, like a fisherman who had finally caught a big fish.
"First, learn to use it."
The car stopped in front of an unassuming suburban house.
Inside, however, the house was a World unto itself.
In the center of the living room was a huge glass terrarium, where thousands of ants scurried busily, forming a miniature city.
"Your training ground is downstairs." Hank opened the door to the Underground Room.
The Underground Room was large, like an abandoned laboratory, filled with strange instruments and pipes.
"Put it on.
First lesson, controlling the shrinking."
Scott took a deep breath, resignedly put on the suit, and donned the helmet.
He pressed the red button.
Buzz—
This time, he was mentally prepared, forcing himself to remain calm and feel the changes in space around his body.
He felt like he was falling into an invisible vortex, everything around him stretching and twisting.
A few seconds later, he succeeded.
He stood steadily on the floor, only one centimeter tall.
"Very good," Hank's voice came through the helmet, like rolling thunder, "Now, run from point A to point B."
Hank used a laser pointer to draw two points on the floor.
What was originally only two meters now looked like an endless marathon to Scott.
He started running.
The air was no longer insubstantial; he could clearly feel the resistance of every current, like wading through waist-deep Water.
He ran until his lungs felt like they would burst, finally reaching the finish line, panting.
"Thirty seconds," Hank's voice was flat, filled with disappointment, "Too slow.
A qualified Ant-Man only needs three seconds.
Do it again."
Scott didn't even have time to catch his breath before turning and running back.
Back and forth, countless times.
Finally, he returned to normal size, took off his helmet, and collapsed onto the ground, drenched in sweat as if he had just been pulled from Water.
Hope handed him a bottle of Water, her eyes still filled with undisguised disdain: "I told you he couldn't do it.
He's just a thief."
"But he has what we need." Hank looked at the gasping Scott, his eyes complex, "He has a mind that breaks rules, and a heart that wants to be a hero.
That's more important than anything."
The next few days, Scott spent in this devilish training.
He could now skillfully jump over a pencil and climb a standing book in his shrunk state.
Hank even threw him into a bathtub to practice maintaining balance in the Water current.
Once, he accidentally fell onto a half-eaten pizza, got stuck in the gooey cheese, and was almost mistaken for dinner by a passing cockroach.
Hank finally told him the true objective—to infiltrate PymTechnologies and steal back the misused Wasp Suittechnology from his former student, Darren Cross.
"Darren weaponized my Pym Particles," Hank's voice was filled with pain, "He wants to sell it to HYDRA.
If he succeeds, the World is over."
"Why don't you go yourself?" Scott asked, panting.
"I'm old." Hank looked at his hands, "Every use of Pym Particles causes irreversible damage to my body.
Besides, Darren's security system was specifically designed to guard against me."
"What about her?" Scott pointed to Hope, who was instructing him on combat techniques nearby.
Hank's voice instantly deepened: "She can't go.
I can't... lose her again."
Scott didn't ask again.
He knew there was a story behind this that he didn't know.
"Communication," Hank's voice echoed in the helmet, "is the key to control.
Ants are your comrades, not your slaves.
You have to learn to understand their needs and make deals with them."
Scott was going crazy.
He was in a shrunk state, standing in that giant terrarium, surrounded by ants.
They crawled around his feet, each one as big as a small car, their Black carapaces gleaming under the lights.
The device in his helmet converted the pheromones and antennae vibrations released by the ants into a kind of static-like noise.
His mind was filled with fragmented information like "hunger," "danger," "carrying," "queen," "mating," making his head ache.
Hank's task for him was to command a worker ant to move a sugar cube from point A to point B.
He had failed seventeen times.
He tried to concentrate, sending a clear command to the nearest worker ant: "Pick up the sugar."
The worker ant merely wiggled its antennae, crawled around him, and went on its way.
"It won't listen to me!" he complained irritably.
"Because it thinks your command is stupid." Hank's voice was cold, "You have to give it a reason.
Tell it why it should do this."
Scott took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tried a different approach.
This time, he didn't give a direct order.
He tried to recall what Hank had taught him, weaving his intention into a signal mixed with various pheromones and transmitting it.
This signal contained the temptation of "food," the sense of security of the "nest," the supreme command of "the queen needs it," and a "safe route" he had planned out.
A miracle happened.
The worker ant suddenly stopped, wiggling its antennae excitedly.
It had received this complex "proposal."
A few seconds later, it quickly crawled to the sugar cube, gripped it with its large mouthparts, and then steadily carried it along the route Scott had planned in his mind to the designated leaf.
"Well done." A hint of approval finally entered Hank's voice.
"Dad, let him try Anthony." Hope's voice interjected.
"Alright," Hank agreed, "Scott, get ready.
Advanced course.
Establish a connection with Anthony."
"Anthony?"
"An ant," Hank explained, "I fitted it with a pair of mechanical wings.
It's your mount."
No sooner had he spoken than a huge flying ant, flapping its wings, slowly descended from the top of the terrarium.
Its wings gleamed with a metallic luster under the lights, clearly artificial.
Scott swallowed.
This thing was practically a living armed helicopter.
He tried, as before, to send Anthony a friendly request to "take me flying."
The flying ant tilted its head, its huge compound eyes examining him.
Then, it suddenly flapped its wings, turned around, and flew away, stopping on a distant branch to preen its wings.
"Does it also think I'm stupid?" Scott was on the verge of tears.
"No," Hank's voice sounded a little amused, "It just thinks you're too heavy."
"Dad! Something's happening!" Just then, Hope's voice suddenly became tense, "Darren Cross moved up the product launch date!"
Hank's expression changed, and he hurried to the computer.
On the screen, Darren Cross stood in front of a giant glass display case, proudly boasting to a group of investors in suits.
Inside the display case was a fierce yellow and Black metal suit—the Wasp Suit.
"He succeeded." Hank's voice was filled with bitterness and anger, "He turned my life's work into a killing weapon."
"The launch is tomorrow night." Hope's face was pale, "We're out of time.
Scott isn't ready at all."
"He has to be ready!" Hank suddenly turned, staring intently at the tiny figure in the terrarium, his voice like a command and a plea, "Scott! Listen!
The plan is moved up!
You only have one chance.
Tonight, you must learn to fly!"
Scott's heart sank.
He looked at the flying ant still leisurely preening its wings in the distance, then at the cold, gleaming suit on the computer screen.
This time, it wasn't training.
It was real combat.
He took a deep breath, once again focusing all his attention on the flying ant Anthony.
The hesitation and clumsiness from before were gone from his eyes, replaced only by a desperate resolve to succeed or die trying.
He transmitted a brand new message to Anthony.
This message was a mixture of "urgency," "danger," "the queen's supreme command"... and a hint of longing to see his daughter, and a trace of pleading, which he himself hadn't even noticed.
Anthony, who was preening its wings, felt this unprecedented strong will.
It stopped its movements, turned its head, and its huge compound eyes crossed dozens of meters, locking firmly onto Scott.
A few seconds of standoff.
Chapter 142 Pym Particles
Chu Hang lost his patience.
Scott Lang's training, in his eyes, was like a clumsy circus act. He watched the man teetering on the back of an ant, taking an entire night just to barely master the technique of taking flight. This inefficiency was unbearable for him.
To continue waiting for Scott to fully understand the Ant-Man suit's functions and then copy them from him was like waiting for an elementary school student to solve a university-level math problem. It was too slow.
He decided to change his approach.
There was no need to wait for the fruit to ripen. He could directly acquire the cultivation techniques for the entire tree.
Target: Hank Pym.
That evening, while Hope and Scott were out buying dinner ingredients, he found Hank Pym calibrating equipment in the Underground Room.
Chu Hang used Spiritual Law to mask his presence, so Hank Pym was completely unaware of the extra person behind him.
Chu Hang reached out and gently tapped him on the shoulder.
The system prompt sounded in his mind.
"Target detected: Hank Pym. Replicable ability list: [S-Rank Quantum Physics Mastery], [A-Rank Insect Behavior Research]..."
Chu Hang chose the former without hesitation.
A vast, clearly structured torrent of knowledge poured into his brain. It wasn't rote memorization of data, but a completely new perspective on the World, an intuitive understanding of the physical rules at the subatomic level.
He instantly understood the essence of Pym Particles.
It wasn't simple shrinking, but rather a forced compression of the space between atomic nuclei and electrons through a special quantum field, folding three-dimensional matter onto a higher dimension.
Chu Hang withdrew his hand and silently turned to leave. The old man remained focused on the instrument in his hands, completely unaware of what had just happened.
Returning to his Base, Chu Hang went straight to the workbench.
He didn't touch the apple on the table but instead moved a one-meter-sided solid tungsten steel cube from the corner of the wall. This was his target for testing physical striking ability, weighing nineteen tons.
He extended a finger and pointed it at the cube.
This time, he didn't use any energy light effects, but merely combined his newly acquired quantum physics knowledge with his understanding of the Law of Space, issuing a simple command: fold.
Silently.
The tungsten steel cube did not get smaller. One of its corners, an area about the size of a fist, vanished into thin air.
Chu Hang frowned.
He could feel that, in that instant, multiple Law powers within him clashed violently.
The Law of Space wanted to compress, the Law of Bodywanted to crush, and Chaos Magic tried to fundamentally rewrite the concept of existence for that area.
The three powers fought, and the ultimate result was the complete obliteration of that matter from reality.
"Incorrect."
Chu Hang said in a low voice.
He tried again, this time forcibly suppressing the instincts of the Law of Body and Chaos Magic, using only pure Law of Space to guide it.
Buzz—
The cube began to vibrate violently, its edges blurring like a TV image with poor signal.
It flickered wildly between shrinking and returning to normal size, and the surrounding light was distorted, forming a miniature black hole.
Chu Hang's expression changed, and he immediately cut the connection.
The cube returned to its original state, but its surface was covered in spiderweb-like cracks, its internal structure completely destroyed.
He failed.
What he created was not Pym Particles, but an extremely unstable spatial bomb.
Chu Hang sat down and closed his eyes.
His consciousness sank within him, looking at the chaotic sea of stars formed by various Laws.
The Law of Space was deep blue, the Law of Body was violent purple, the Law of Time was mysterious green, the Law of Body was solid earthy brown, the Spiritual Lawwas pure yellow, and the Law of Reality was enigmatic red.
Now, a Nebula representing quantum physics, composed of countless precise runes, squeezed its way in.
He had originally thought that after comprehending the [Spiritual Law], he was only one step away from being truly Skyfather level.
He only needed to use powerful spiritual power as a furnace to smelt all powers into his own unique Law.
But now he realized that with each additional Law, the difficulty of fusion was not additive, but exponentially increasing.
They were like a group of wild beasts with vastly different temperaments, confined in the same cage, repelling and tearing at each other.
The spiritual power furnace was simply not strong enough and could be torn apart by these beasts at any moment.
Chu Hang opened his eyes, feeling a deep sense of fatigue.
He realized that his approach all along had been wrong.
He constantly copied abilities, but he didn't deeply understand most of them.
"Pause."
He told himself.
He would not copy any new abilities until he had thoroughly digested everything he currently possessed.
He needed to dismantle these Laws one by one, understand how they worked, and then find their commonalities, find the main thread that could connect them all.
Just as he stepped over the threshold of his quiet room, his spiritual power, which could already cover the entire Earth, suddenly detected a familiar yet weak divine power fluctuation at a street corner in New York.
That power belonged to Asgard.
It belonged to the All-Father.
Odin had arrived.
Chu Hang stopped.
He stood at the entrance of the quiet room, closed his eyes, and his spiritual power quickly locked onto the location of that divine power. New York, Manhattan, an alley near Greenwich Village.
That divine power was rapidly decaying.
Odin was dying.
Chu Hang's newly made resolution was as fragile as paper in the face of reality.
He had promised Odin to act three times for Asgard after his Death. Now, the creditor was coming to collect before his demise.
More importantly, Odin's Death meant something else—his sealed eldest daughter, Hela, the Goddess of Death, was about to break free.
He didn't want that madwoman to appear in the center of New York City and turn Manhattan into her divine kingdom.
Seclusion? Digesting power?
The Universe clearly didn't give him that time.
Chu Hang took a deep breath and turned to walk towards the center of the Base.
He didn't casually cleave space as usual but roughly tore a rift in the air in front of him with his spiritual power.
He stepped through.
The surrounding scenery instantly switched from the futuristic metallic Base to a dirty, damp New York alley.
The smell of rotting food mixed with rainwater assailed him.
At the end of the alley, a gaunt, one-eyed old man in a cheap suit leaned against a graffiti-covered trash can, staring blankly at the passing vehicles.
He was no longer the imposing ruler of the Nine Realmswho sat on a throne, but merely a lonely vagrant abandoned by time.
Chu Hang slowly walked over, the sound of his shoes on the puddles echoing clearly in the alley.
The old man didn't turn around, seemingly having sensed his arrival long ago.
It wasn't until Chu Hang stood before him, blocking the only light source in the alley, that he laboriously raised his head, his cloudy single eye struggling to focus, recognizing the newcomer.
"You've come."
Odin's voice was as dry as two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together, yet it carried a sense of relieved calm.
He seemed to have foreseen this moment long ago.
Chu Hang looked at him.
This former All-Father had now lost almost all his divine power, his life's flame so faint it seemed it could be extinguished by the alley's wind at any moment.
He could clearly sense that the Laws within Odin were collapsing, those ancient runes that supported his long life were dimming one by one.
"I feel it," Odin looked at Chu Hang, a trace of his former all-seeing wisdom seemed to flash in his cloudy eyes, "Your power... like a boiling ocean. But it's too chaotic."
Chu Hang did not answer.
He knew Odin was speaking the truth.
Odin struggled to stand upright but failed, only leaning deeper into the trash can.
"My time is short. That good-for-nothing child, Loki, left me here." He paused, "My Death will unleash a great trouble. A... trouble even I cannot handle."
He extended his withered hand, seemingly wanting to grasp something, but it ultimately fell powerlessly.
"After I die, Thor and Loki will come looking for me. Tell them I love them. Then stay away from her."
Chu Hang listened quietly.
He knew Odin was talking about Hela.
He looked at the dying King of Gods, and for some reason, the chaotic sea of Laws within his heart slowly calmed down a little.
He crouched down, meeting Odin's gaze, and spoke calmly:
"That trouble you mentioned, the thing I promised you, I will handle it."
Odin's cloudy single eye widened abruptly, staring intently at Chu Hang, as if trying to discern a hint of bravado on his calm face.
But he saw nothing, only an unfathomable tranquility.
After a long while, Odin smiled.
It was a smile of relief, of having shed all burdens.
"Good. Then... I'll leave it to you."
As soon as the words fell, Odin's body suddenly began to turn ethereal, transforming into countless golden specks of light, slowly dissipating into the air.
The moment he vanished, a terrifying divine power, oppressive, evil, and filled with the aura of Death and conquest, violently broke free from its shackles in a corner of the Universe.
The sky over New York instantly became overcast.
A green, sulfur-smelling spatial rift was forcibly torn open above the alley.
Chu Hang looked up at the rift.
Chapter 143 Goddess of Death - Hela
When the Bifrost Bridge's beam struck, the green rift had only torn open halfway.
As the beam dissipated, Thor and Loki appeared at the other end of the alley. Thor was wearing a casual Earthling jacket, while Loki was still in his sharp suit. Both their faces were filled with anxiety.
Then they saw Chu Hang.
And before Chu Hang, those golden specks of light that were dissipating.
Thor's face instantly went White. He reached out, trying to grasp the light, but only caught a handful of air.
Loki stood frozen, his eyes complex, lost in thought.
The green rift fully opened.
A woman emerged from it. Dressed in a black, tight-fitting leather suit, with long hair cascading over her shoulders, she exuded no trace of life, only Death and arrogance.
She glanced at the dirty walls and trash cans, her gaze settling on Thor and Loki, a smile playing on her lips.
"Look who it is," her voice was hoarse, "My two younger brothers."
She looked at the last specks of light in the air, shrugging: "Looks like I missed a good show. Father is finally dead."
She took two steps forward, each step like a stomp on a heart.
"Allow me to introduce myself," she spread her arms, "I am Hela. Odin's firstborn. Asgard's true heir."
Her gaze turned icy: "Now, kneel."
"Kneel?"
Thor reacted as if he had heard a joke. The sadness on his face was instantly replaced by anger. He reached out, and Mjolnir came whistling, accompanied by thunder, striking towards Hela.
Loki's expression changed, he tried to stop Thor, but it was too late.
Hela didn't even look, she casually raised her hand and caught Mjolnir.
The hammer hummed and struggled in her hand, yet it couldn't move an inch.
"Looks pretty good," Hela examined the hammer, "But Father is old after all, to actually consider this thing a source of power."
Her five fingers tightened.
Crack—
mjolnir shattered.
It just shattered, turning into a pile of metal fragments on the ground.
Thor was stunned. He felt as if a part of his own body had also shattered.
Hela gave him no time to react, she flashed in front of him and kicked him in the chest.
Thor flew backward, slammed into the wall, and couldn't get up.
Loki drew his dagger, attempting a sneak attack. But Heladidn't even turn her head, she grabbed him with a backhand, choking him by the neck and lifting him up.
"Still playing these little tricks," she casually tossed him, and Loki also flew.
Chu Hang frowned.
What he sensed was not energy, but Law. A cold, domineering Law of Death.
He made his move.
Stepping forward, he blocked Hela, raising his hand to deploy a Spatial Curvature Barrier.
Hela stopped, looking at him: "A mortal? No, you have Father's scent, and the scent of that blue stone... an interesting hybrid."
She sneered, a black longsword appearing out of thin air in her hand, and she lightly slashed at the barrier.
Rip—
The Spatial Curvature Barrier split open.
That sword could cut through space.
Chu Hang's heart sank. Hela's power exceeded his expectations. Her understanding of the Law of Death was complete and self-contained.
Although he possessed many Laws—Space, Force, Time, Life, Chaos—they were all merely at the beginner or proficient stage, none had reached Hela's "completeness."
A head-on confrontation offered no chance of victory.
He no longer hesitated; Spatial power erupted, enveloping Thor and Loki, forcibly tearing open a rift, and before Hela could swing her sword, he jumped in with the two of them.
The ground of the Bifrost Bridge was cold.
As Chu Hang, Thor, and Loki tumbled out of the rift, Heimdall blocked their way, both hands gripping the Guardian Sword, its tip pointed at the rift.
It was too late.
Hela emerged from the green rift, her high heels clicking crisply on the Bifrost Bridge.
She didn't even look at Heimdall, her gaze fixed on Chu Hang.
"Trying to run?" Her voice held a hint of mockery, "No one escapes from me."
Before her words finished, she transformed into a Shadow, instantly appearing before Chu Hang. Her black longsword stabbed straight at his heart, imbued with the power of the Law of Death.
Chu Hang's pupils contracted.
He activated [Space · Displacement], swapping positions with a crystal a hundred meters away.
But the sword seemed to have eyes; after missing, its tip twisted, directly tearing through space, and the next moment, it emerged from the void beside Chu Hang.
Chu Hang only managed to turn sideways. The blade grazed his ribs; his [Adaptive Armor] instantly activated but was pierced by the Law of Death, leaving a deep, bone-visible wound.
At the wound, black Death energy aggressively corroded, preventing his Healing Factor from repairing it.
Thor roared. He had lost his hammer, but not his thunder. Lightning burst from his eyes, and electricity descended from the sky, forming a thick column of lightning that blasted towards Hela.
Hela didn't even turn her head, allowing the lightning column to strike her back.
The violent lightning exploded on her, but it was like a mud ox entering the sea, unable to even make her waver. The Law of Death on her body formed an invisible barrier, swallowing all the energy.
"Is that all you've got?" She mockingly looked back at Thor, waving her hand casually.
The crystals beneath her feet transformed into dozens of black spikes, shooting towards Thor and Loki like venomous snakes.
Loki was terrified; he quickly created illusory duplicates, but the spikes ignored the illusions, precisely piercing through each duplicate, heading straight for his real body.
Chu Hang endured the intense pain, clasping his hands together forcefully.
[Spatial Curvature Barrier]!
Dozens of twisted spaces unfolded in layers before them. The spikes plunged into the barrier, their speed drastically reduced, their trajectories warped, eventually clinking to the ground and reverting to ordinary crystals.
Chu Hang grunted, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth.
Each clash of Laws subjected his mental power to immense strain.
He finally clearly understood the gap between himself and Hela.
He possessed many abilities—Space, Force, Time, Life, Chaos… like a toolbox filled with countless tools.
But of these tools, he had only learned how to use them, failing to hone any single one to its peak.
And Hela, she had only one weapon—the Law of Death.
She herself had become the embodiment of the Law of Death.
Even more terrifying, as long as she stood on Asgard, her power was endless, with virtually no depletion.
Fighting her here was like fighting all of Asgard.
An immortal body.
Unless... Asgard itself was destroyed.
This thought flashed through Chu Hang's mind. He glanced at the struggling Thor behind him and immediately dismissed the idea.
Chu Hang looked at the dispirited Loki, and Thor, who was still futilely summoning sparks of electricity, his eyes bloodshot, and made a decision.
Run.
Not running like a lost dog, but to find a way to defeat her and then return.
"Loki!" Chu Hang roared at the trembling God of Lies, "To the control console! Use Heimdall's sword, open the Bifrost Bridge! Anywhere, just get out of here!"
Loki, as if grasping a lifeline, scrambled towards the control center.
Hela's eyes turned cold, she tried to stop him, but Chu Hang actively met her.
He spread his arms, and his [Twin Star Form] energy burst forth without reservation. Golden cosmic energy and the Law of Force furiously merged, forming an extremely unstable energy sphere radiating an aura of destruction.
"Taste this!"
He pushed the energy sphere towards Hela.
It wasn't meant to kill or wound, merely to buy time.
For the first time, Hela showed a serious expression. She crossed her arms in front of her, and a massive Deathpower formed a pure black wall.
The golden energy sphere collided with the wall; there was no explosion, only an extreme, all-consuming White light.
Annihilation at the Law level.
As the light dissipated, Hela still stood in place, unharmed, but a massive gap appeared in the Bifrost Bridge beneath her feet.
She was forced back.
On the other side, Loki had already plunged the Guardian Sword into the control console, and the Bifrost Bridge's energy began to surge.
Chu Hang grabbed the collar of Thor, who was still trying to charge forward and fight, and harshly threw him into the colorful energy vortex.
"Go! If we stay here, we'll all die!" He yelled at Thor's retreating back.
Then, he took one last look at Hela, who stood on the other end of the Bifrost Bridge with a grim expression, and leaped into the turbulent current that connected the Nine Realms.
The vortex closed.
Hela stood on the broken Bifrost Bridge, watching the direction they disappeared, a cold smile playing on her lips.
Chapter 144 Sakaar
The Bifrost Bridge was not a road.
It was more like a kaleidoscope, filled with colorful glass shards, violently shaken by a madman.
His internal organs were churning.
Beside Chu Hang, Thor, like a drunken rugby player, charged recklessly through the energy currents.
Loki, pale-faced, kept his mouth tightly shut, trying to maintain his last shred of dignity.
Ahead, the surging energy torrent split without warning. A huge Spatial vortex opened like a gaping maw.
Loki was closest; he didn't even have time to let out a gasp before he was pulled in by the suction, disappearing instantly.
Immediately after, Thor also lost control of his direction. He roared, reaching out to grab Chu Hang, but another, smaller vortex swept him away.
"See you in Asgard!" The echo stretched, then broke off.
Now only Chu Hang was left.
He felt like he had been thrown into an out-of-control tumble dryer, tumbling in a chaotic energy storm.
After an unknown period, he finally saw a glimmer of light ahead, an exit that looked like a cosmic sewer drain.
He didn't have time to adjust his posture before he was violently flung out by the immense inertia.
He crashed headfirst into a pile of cold, hard metal.
The violent impact made his vision go black, and it took several seconds for him to recover.
He propped himself up and sat, looking around.
The sky was an eerie green, with colorful blocky clouds floating by. Above, the sky was filled with wormholes of all sizes, like countless mouths in the heavens. Various bizarre, smoke-emitting spacecraft darted around, emitting harsh noises.
He himself was sitting on an endless mountain of trash.
Metal, plastic, and some materials he didn't recognize at all were piled high, emitting a strange smell of mixed oil and rust.
He stood up, pressing on his still bleeding wound, his brows furrowed.
He didn't know which of the Nine Realms this was, or even if it was still within the Nine Realms. But he was very clear that he had fallen into a place much more troublesome than a World War II battlefield.
Before he could fully process it, a metallic scraping noise came from nearby.
He turned his head and saw several strange creatures peeking out from behind a pile of scrap metal, furtively sizing him up.
The weapons they held seemed to be haphazardly cobbled together from the trash: one held a metal pipe with a sharp iron piece tied to the end, while another had a modified arm that could fire an energy net.
They chattered in a language Chu Hang couldn't understand, but the greed and malice in their eyes were universal.
New goods, looks quite intact, should fetch a good price.
Chu Hang sighed.
The last thing he wanted to do right now was fight. The wound on his ribs still ached, and Hela's Death Law felt like countless tiny needles pricking his flesh, causing a sharp pain with every breath he took.
He just wanted to find a quiet place to expel this damned power, and then figure out which remote corner Thor and Loki had been flung to.
But trouble clearly wasn't going to let him go.
The guy with the capture gun, probably the leader of this group of scavengers, yelled something at him and then raised his arm.
A blue energy net whistled through the air, descending over his head.
Chu Hang didn't even bother to dodge; he simply raised his left hand, fingers splayed.
The energy net, less than half a meter from him, slammed into an invisible wall, stopping abruptly, then was crumpled into a ball by an unseen force, becoming a flickering blue orb of electrical sparks.
He casually flicked his wrist, and the orb smashed into a nearby mountain-like pile of trash, exploding into a scorched patch.
The scavengers were stunned.
They clearly hadn't expected this seemingly ordinary bipedal creature to be so difficult to deal with.
But on this Planet, hesitation meant Death.
The leader roared again, and the remaining few charged forward with their crude weapons.
Chu Hang shook his head, feeling a bit annoyed.
He took a step forward, his body vanishing from its spot.
When he reappeared, he was behind one of the scavengers. He didn't use any flashy abilities, simply raised his hand, grabbed the opponent's head, and then gently pressed it against the nearby metal wall.
With a muffled thud, the head caved in like a rotten watermelon, and the body slid softly to the ground.
Another scavenger had just reacted when a gleaming metal spear had already pierced Chu Hang's back.
Chu Hang didn't even turn his head, allowing the spear to strike him.
With a crisp clang, like a toothpick poking tank armor, the tip of the metal spear snapped off directly.
The ferocity on the scavenger's face instantly froze, turning into pure terror. He tried to pull back his weapon, but found that the broken spear section seemed to be welded to Chu Hang's back.
Chu Hang slowly turned around, looking at him expressionlessly, then raised a foot and kicked him in the knee.
The sound of bone shattering was clearly audible, and the poor guy screamed, collapsing to his knees.
The remaining few were utterly terrified. They dropped their weapons and turned to run.
But Chu Hang didn't give them the chance.
He simply snapped his fingers.
An invisible force field enveloped the entire junkyard. The fleeing scavengers were like being gripped by an unseen giant hand, their bodies forcibly twisted and compressed, finally turning into unrecognizable piles of bloody pulp amidst a bone-chilling crunching sound.
Only the leader with the capture gun was still alive. He lay sprawled on the ground, his pants wet, watching Chu Hang approach step by step, trembling like a sieve.
Chu Hang squatted in front of him and asked in a common language the other party could understand: "Where is this?"
The leader stammered: "Sa... Sakaar."
"Who's in charge?"
"The... Grandmaster."
Chu Hang nodded and stood up. He didn't need any more information.
He raised his hand, about to deal with this last nuisance, when a sharp engine roar suddenly came from the distant sky.
A lavishly painted spaceship, shaped like a luxury yacht, sped over and hovered above the junkyard.
The spaceship's hatch opened, and a man in a blue robe, with a blue vertical line painted on his chin, looking both elegant and eccentric, appeared at the hatch, surrounded by a group of guards.
He watched the bloody scene below with interest, finally fixing his gaze on Chu Hang, an exaggerated smile on his face, as if he had discovered a new toy.
"Oh, look what we've found? A newcomer, a... very energetic newcomer!" He clapped his hands, his voice echoing through the entire junkyard via a loudspeaker, "I like energetic things! Hello there, friend below, I am the Master of this Planet, they all call me the Grandmaster. Interested in coming to my party?"
Chu Hang looked up, narrowing his eyes at the man.
Old monster.
He could feel that this so-called "Grandmaster" contained an ancient and powerful cosmic energy within him.
Although not comparable to Odin or the Ancient One, he was definitely an old fellow who had lived for countless years.
He didn't want to stir up trouble, but the other party was clearly interested in him.
Just as Chu Hang was contemplating how to respond, a familiar figure emerged from behind the Grandmaster.
It was Loki.
He had changed into an equally lavish silk robe, his hair meticulously combed, and on his face was that familiar smile Chu Hang knew all too well, a mix of flattery and calculation.
Cockroaches always find the biggest pile of dung fastest, Chu Hang thought.
Loki leaned into the Grandmaster's ear, whispering a few words, but his eyes kept darting to Chu Hang below, with a hint of schadenfreude and an imperceptible wariness.
After listening, the Grandmaster's smile grew wider. He pointed at Chu Hang and loudly declared: "I've decided! You, are my special guest for the next Champion's Challenge!!!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several robotic arms extended from beneath the spaceship, equipped with powerful energy cannons, all aimed at Chu Hang.
At the same time, Loki's figure gradually faded beside the Grandmaster, clearly just an illusion.
Chu Hang understood. Loki had arrived here before him and, with his silver tongue, had successfully latched onto the Grandmaster. Now, he wanted to use the Grandmaster's hand to eliminate this major threat.
Chu Hang sneered.
He glanced at the scavenger leader, whose leg he had broken, not far behind him, and suddenly changed his mind.
He grabbed the guy by the collar, lifted him up, and then shouted to the Grandmaster in the sky: "Want me to play your game? Fine. But you have to show enough sincerity first."
With that, he threw the scavenger in his hand into the air like trash.
Just as the poor wretch was about to reach his apex and begin to fall, Chu Hang snapped his fingers.
[Spatial Cutting]
An invisible law swept through, and the scavenger in the air was instantly disintegrated into its most basic particles, leaving not even a trace of blood mist, simply vanishing into thin air.
The Grandmaster's smile froze.
His guards nervously raised their weapons.
Loki's illusion reappeared, his expression also becoming solemn.
They all realized that this newcomer below possessed a terrifying power they couldn't comprehend.
After a full ten seconds of silence, the Grandmaster finally forced out another smile, though this one seemed a bit stiff.
"Magnificent! Absolutely magnificent! I take back what I said earlier, you are not a guest, you are an honored guest!" He waved his hand, signaling the guards to lower their weapons, "Please come aboard, my esteemed guest. I think we have much to discuss."
A small shuttle detached from the main ship and slowly descended in front of Chu Hang. The hatch opened, and it was empty inside.
Chu Hang glanced at the small shuttle, then at the huge main ship in the sky, and finally turned his gaze to Loki's illusion.
He said nothing, only offered a meaningful smile, then stepped into the shuttle.
As for Loki... Chu Hang felt that letting him and Thor, these brothers, suffer a bit more on this crazy Planetmight be a good thing for their growth.
He also needed some time to remove Hela's lingering Death Law from his body.
He decided not to intervene for now, to just be a quiet spectator.
Chapter 145 Stan Lee?
The Grandmaster's palace, if you could even call it a palace, was more like a top-tier nightclub operating twenty-four hours a day.
The heavy bass drumbeats pounded against one's chest, and the air, thick with hundreds of alien spices, alcohol, and sweat, made one's head throb. Chu Hang leaned against a glowing energy pillar, holding a glass of blue liquid that he hadn't touched.
Here, he trusted nothing that wasn't personally acquired.
His attention was entirely focused on himself.
The spot where Hela had pierced his ribs still throbbed with a dull ache. It wasn't an ordinary wound; it was a nail left by the Law of Death, embedded in his flesh and bone, like a black plant constantly draining his life force.
The Law of Body could only barely maintain a balance, preventing the wound from worsening, but that cold, dark energy lingered stubbornly.
The Grandmaster lay on his floating sofa, surrounded by several alluring green-skinned handmaidens who were feeding him purple fruit.
He didn't appear to be looking at Chu Hang, but Chu Hang knew that the old man's peripheral vision hadn't left him for a second.
This old monster had lived too long, his nose for power sharper than a hound's.
Sure enough, not long after, the Grandmaster, holding a glass of wine, floated over unsteadily, a businessman's fake smile plastered on his face.
"How do you like it, my new friend?" He raised his glass. "Do you like my party? It's the best party in the entire Universe, bar none."
Chu Hang ignored his pleasantries and asked directly, "How do I leave this Planet?"
The Grandmaster burst into an exaggerated laugh, as if he had heard the funniest joke, his body shaking on the sofa. "Leave? My friend, why would you want to leave paradise? Here, with strength, you can have anything! Look at my arena, the most spectacular duels in the entire Universe are played out every day! Losers become dust in history, winners become immortal legends!"
He leaned closer, his voice low, his eyes glinting with cunning: "Your abilities are very special; my people described them to me. Directly erasing matter—I've never seen that before. What are you? A lost god? Or the ultimate weapon of some civilization?"
"Just passing through," Chu Hang said concisely.
He didn't want to play games with this old fox.
Enduring it wasn't a solution; Hela's Law of Death was too overbearing, constantly draining his energy.
He thought of the power he had copied from the Reality Stone—the Law of Reality.
Using one law to counter another law.
It was a crazy idea.
The power of the Reality Stone was full of corruption and distortion; one wrong move and he might be assimilated by its madness. But he had no other choice.
He closed his eyes, separating a wisp of mental energy, and probed into that chaotic red ocean.
With a hum, countless chaotic thoughts, mad whispers, and inverted logic rushed into his mind. He felt as if he was about to be torn apart.
The [Will Barrier] activated at full power.
He desperately clung to the sole thought in his mind: "This wound does not exist."
Not healing, not expelling, but conceptually, from the very root of reality, denying the existence of this wound.
Chu Hang's body suddenly trembled, he let out a muffled groan, and his face instantly paled several shades.
He could feel the black Death energy, which had been entrenched within him, letting out a silent shriek the moment it came into contact with the red energy.
But the power from the Reality Stone was unreasonable.
It simply brutally rewrote the rules.
The black energy vanished from his Body without a trace, like a pencil mark erased by a rubber.
It worked.
Chu Hang slowly exhaled a turbid breath, his back already drenched in cold sweat. He felt he had gained a dangerous new understanding of how to use the Law of Reality.
Just then, a commotion erupted at the palace entrance.
Two guards, over three meters tall and clad in heavy armor, dragged a person in as if they were a dead dog.
The person's head was bowed, their golden hair was messy and looked like it had been chewed by a dog, and they wore tattered gladiator attire.
But Chu Hang recognized him at a glance.
Thor.
An old human man with a wrinkled face and a Hawaiian shirt followed behind, holding a strange pair of scissors that were still sparking with electricity, muttering to himself as if complaining about how difficult the last job had been.
The Grandmaster's eyes lit up when he saw Thor, and he sat up straight on his sofa. "Aha! Look who it is! The little Prince of Asgard! It seems the Valkyrie did a good job this time, bringing me a decent toy."
As the barber old man passed by Chu Hang, he suddenly stopped, leaned in, and sniffed him hard, his nose almost touching Chu Hang's clothes.
"Strange..." A hint of confusion flashed in his cloudy eyes as he looked at Chu Hang, muttering in a barely audible voice, "Guys who fall from the sky are either electrified or on Fire, or they reek of despair. This scent of yours... I don't remember ever encountering it."
Chu Hang's heart skipped a beat.
Isn't this Stan Lee, who made a cameo in the movie? Could it be that he knows my identity?
The Grandmaster waved his hand somewhat impatiently: "Old man, what mad nonsense are you muttering now?"
The old man shook his head, no longer looking at Chu Hang, and turned to walk away. "Nothing, I just feel like among this new batch of goods, there might be one with the wrong label..."
Chu Hang watched his retreating back and asked the Grandmaster, "Who is that barber?"
"Him? Oh, Stan, a crazy old man," the Grandmaster replied nonchalantly. "He was here when I arrived, older than most of the trash on this Planet. Don't mind him, his brain was ruined by the radiation here long ago."
The Grandmaster's attention quickly shifted entirely to Thor. He floated in front of Thor, circled him twice, and poked Thor's muscular arm with a slender finger.
"Thor?" The Grandmaster drawled, his tone full of mockery. "I've heard of him. The Prince of Asgard, can he summon thunder?"
The surrounding guests erupted in laughter.
Thor's face flushed crimson. He struggled violently, roaring at the Grandmaster, "Let me go! You monster! You will pay for your insolence!"
"I love insolence!" The Grandmaster laughed even harder, clapping his hands. "Angry gladiators fetch higher ticket prices! The audience loves to see the desperate expressions of conceited powerhouses like you when my champion tears you to shreds!"
Just then, Loki's illusion silently appeared beside the Grandmaster's sofa. He held a glass of wine and bowed elegantly.
"My esteemed friend," he said to the Grandmaster, though his eyes darted towards Chu Hang, "I must remind you that while my brother isn't very bright, he's certainly a formidable fighter. You'd best find him a sufficiently strong opponent, lest you spoil everyone's fun."
"Don't worry!" The Grandmaster waved his hand grandly. "My champion has never lost! He'll pull this Asgardian chicken's bones apart one by one!"
He snapped his fingers, and the holographic projection in the center of the palace lit up.
A stone monster, over five meters tall, appeared on the screen. It had four thick arms, and raging Fire burned at its joints.
In the image, it was grabbing a massive alien beast, tearing it into four pieces with brute force, and then stuffing them into its rock-formed mouth.
The guests erupted in fervent cheers and screams.
On Thor's face, anger was replaced by a trace of solemnity for the first time. Without his hammer, facing this purely strength-based monster, he felt completely out of his depth.
The Grandmaster was pleased with Thor's reaction. He pointed at Thor and commanded, "Take him away! Wash him clean and put him in proper gladiator attire! My champion can't wait to taste Asgardian roast chicken!"
The guards dragged the still cursing Thor away, disappearing into the depths of the corridor.
The Grandmaster, satisfied, floated back to Chu Hang's side, intimately draped an arm over his shoulder, and pointed to a terrace with the best view.
"Come, my most mysterious guest! The show is about to begin, and I've saved you the best seat!"
Chu Hang glanced in the direction Thor had disappeared, then at Loki, who was watching the show from a corner, feeling no ripples in his heart.
Chapter 146 Thor's Thunder God Form
Thor was roughly pushed into a circular room by two guards, and the metal door slammed shut behind him.
He stumbled a few steps to steady himself, then scanned his surroundings. It looked like a waiting room, with cold metal walls and a dozen bizarre-looking aliens, all injured and with vacant eyes. The air had a strange smell, a mix of blood and disinfectant.
Thor ignored their gazes; he was seething with anger.
He slammed his fist against the metal wall, creating a dull, loud thud.
"Chu Hang! I know you're here! Come out!" he roared upwards, guessing that Chu Hang was watching him make a fool of himself in a private box with that effeminate Grandmaster.
There was no response.
That bastard really intended to stand by and watch.
A large creature made of rocks walked over and patted his shoulder, dropping a pile of rock debris.
"Hey, new guy," the rock man said in a gentle voice, "Don't be so loud; you'll scare my friend Miek."
He pointed to a creature at his feet that looked like a large beetle.
"My name is Korg, and this is Miek. You look pretty strong; were you also captured by that drunken woman?"
Thor didn't bother to answer. His gaze went past Korgand saw a woman leaning against a wall, drinking, at the other end of the room. Long black hair, familiar armor style—though worn, he recognized it instantly.
That was the uniform of Asgard's most elite Valkyrie unit.
"It's you," Thor's voice turned cold. He pushed Korg aside and walked towards the woman, "A Valkyrie, a Guardianof Asgard, acting as a slave trader in a place like this?"
The Valkyrie looked up, sized him up, and a mocking smile played on her lips. "The Prince of Asgard? You look like a drowned rat."
She took a large gulp of her drink.
"I haven't been a Guardian for a long time. Besides, you were foolish enough to fall into my trap."
Thor's fists clenched, cracking his knuckles. He looked at this fallen compatriot, then thought of Chu Hangwatching the show outside, and a sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart.
Here, he couldn't rely on anyone.
The gladiatorial arena's gate rose, and a rush of bright light and deafening cheers poured in. Thor was pushed from behind by a great force, falling onto the scorching sand.
He got up and looked up at the circular stands, where countless creatures were roaring at him with fanaticism. In the top-tier private box, he could clearly see the Grandmaster, Loki, and Chu Hang. They held their wine glasses, as if watching a circus.
Thor's anger burned.
He turned and looked at another rising gate. A colossal figure emerged. It was a giant beast named Smasher, covered in hard, rocky carapaces, its eyes gleaming with ferocity.
Thor froze, then a solemn expression appeared on his face. He had never seen such a massive creature. He shouted at the beast, trying to get its attention.
A roar answered him, and then Smasher charged at Thorsideways.
Thor dodged, and Smasher crashed headfirst into the metal wall, shaking the entire arena.
He dropped his shield and helmet, and clenched his fists. Even without his hammer, he was still the Prince of Asgard.
He charged at Smasher, using his combat skills to maneuver around it. He punched Smasher's jaw, making the beast's head snap back. He then kicked Smasher's knee, causing its massive body to stagger.
The cheers from the stands quieted, and the Grandmaster's face showed surprise. Loki, on the other hand, looked incredulous.
Only Chu Hang remained expressionless, leaning back in his chair, swirling the blue liquid in his glass.
This was just an appetizer.
Thor's attack enraged Smasher, who let out an even louder roar and grabbed Thor's ankle.
Before Thor could react, he was swung around and then slammed violently onto the ground.
Once, twice, thrice.
The entire arena trembled. Thor felt his bones were about to shatter, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Smasher threw him like a rag doll, then jumped into the air, using its massive fists to pound him repeatedly. Thorcould only curl up, protecting his head with his arms.
The cheers from the stands erupted again, even more frenzied. The Grandmaster stood up excitedly, and Lokilaughed gleefully.
"Why do all the big guys like to do this..." Chu Hangfrowned upon seeing this scene and put down his wine glass.
That's enough.
He closed his eyes, and a mental force spanned the distance, probing into Thor's chaotic consciousness. He didn't try to control it; he simply projected Odin's image into Thor's mind, saying one sentence as if playing a movie.
"Are you the God of Hammers?"
Odin's voice echoed in Thor's consciousness.
Thor's body trembled violently. He felt as if he was back to his father's gaze before he dissipated.
The hammer... was just a tool. The power had always been within his own body.
Smasher's fist fell again.
This time, Thor's eyes were no longer filled with anger, but with clarity.
He didn't block.
The moment the fist touched his body, countless blue electric lights erupted from within him, like a large net, fiercely repelling 'Smasher'.
'Smasher' rolled a few times on the ground before stopping. It looked at its fist in confusion, then at Thorslowly standing up in the distance.
Thor's body was wreathed in crackling blue electricity. His eyes were no longer pupils, but two burning balls of blue lightning.
The artificial sky above the arena darkened, and storm clouds gathered.
A thick bolt of lightning descended from the sky, striking Thor.
He wasn't scorched; instead, he seemed to be fully charged, his muscles bulging, every strand of his hair flickering with electricity.
He spread his arms, let out a long howl to the sky, a howl mixed with thunder.
He had awakened.
The true Thor does not need a hammer.
Chu Hang looked at the figure bathed in lightning below, a faint smile playing on his lips. This was exactly the effect he wanted.
The guidance of the Spiritual Law consumed very little, yet the effect was surprisingly good. This gave him new ideas for developing his abilities.
Thor's awakening gave him an inspiration. If mental guidance could stimulate others, could it be used to stimulate himself?
He decided to try it immediately.
His consciousness once again sank into the chaotic sea of laws within his body. This time, he mobilized the Spiritual Law to construct a "diving bell" around his consciousness.
He carefully extended his consciousness towards the red ocean representing "reality."
The violent, chaotic gibberish assailed him again, but this time, it was firmly blocked by the "diving bell." Chu Hang's consciousness, like a calm observer, began to analyze this mad ocean through a layer of safe glass.
He saw matter coming into existence from nothing, and concepts being arbitrarily altered. Water turned into Fire, rocks into bread.
This power neither created nor destroyed; it merely "modified."
Chu Hang was immersed in this realization. But the high-intensity law analysis was a huge burden on his body. Fine cracks began to appear on his skin, like a dried riverbed, and golden blood seeped from the cracks, only to be rapidly repaired by his Healing Factor.
Destruction and regeneration reached a terrifying balance within his body.
He couldn't continue.
He forcibly withdrew his consciousness and sharply opened his eyes. He glanced at his cracked but rapidly healing arm, then activated the new usage he had just comprehended.
Reality Warping.
"These injuries do not exist," he said softly.
The next second, all the wounds on his body caused by the law's backlash, along with the scars, vanished without a trace, his skin as smooth as before.
He succeeded. Not only did he deepen his understanding of the law of reality, but he also found a way to "grind experience" while ignoring side effects.
The door to the private box was pushed open, and the Grandmaster rushed in, his face full of excitement.
"My friend! My distinguished guest!" He excitedly grabbed Chu Hang's arm, "Did you see it! Lightning! Real lightning! He can actually make thunder himself! I'm making a fortune!"
Chu Hang subtly withdrew his hand and glanced at the gladiatorial arena below. Thor and 'Smasher' were still entangled in battle, but Thor, having awakened his ThorForce, had completely gained the upper hand. He controlled the lightning, electrocuting 'Smasher' into howling.
The Grandmaster's champion showed signs of defeat for the first time.
"I need a quiet place to stay for a few days," Chu Hangsaid to the Grandmaster.
The Grandmaster paused, then understood something. "Of course! Of course! It's completely understandable for a strong person like you to occasionally need to meditate!"
He immediately called a attendant, "Take my guest to the top-floor meditation room! Fulfill all his requests!"
Chu Hang nodded, preparing to leave. He needed time to digest his recent insights.
As he reached the door, he stopped and turned back to the Grandmaster, saying, "Let that Asgardian and his friends go."
The Grandmaster's face stiffened, his smile somewhat forced. "This... my friend, he's my new cash cow..."
"He has already defeated your champion," Chu Hang said blandly, "The audience wants to see new excitement. If he keeps winning, everyone will quickly get bored."
He paused, then added, "In exchange, when I come out, I will find you some more interesting gladiators. For example... an incredibly strong, indestructible red giant."
The Grandmaster's eyes lit up, and his mind was already calculating new odds and ticket revenue.
"Deal!" He agreed without hesitation, "We'll talk in detail when you come out!"
Chu Hang said no more, turned, and followed the attendant out.